SITE SUPPORT WORKER

Boarding Home East-BHE

One (1) Bargaining Unit, Permanent Full-Time Position

Existing Vacancy

Compensation: $25.28/hour - $29.40/hour

About Cota

Cota is an accredited not-for-profit organization that has been providing community-based support to people living with mental health and cognitive challenges for over 50 years. At present, our wide array of services delivers much needed support to over 4,000 people/year who live with mental health challenges, psychogeriatric mental health conditions, acquired brain injuries, developmental disabilities, dual diagnoses and/or the experience of homelessness. These services include, but are not limited to, case management, supportive housing and adult day program services. A full listing of our services can be viewed on our website at  https://cotainspires.ca/

Cota is presently seeking a dynamic and innovative individual to join our amazing team in the capacity of the role outlined within this posting. Followed by our mission to support individuals with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities, we strive toward a vision of a supportive, inclusive society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. If you feel you have the skills and qualifications to perform the duties of this role while consistently exemplifying Cota’s values Hope, Respect, Dedication, Equity, Accountability, Collaboration and Innovation, we would love to hear from you.

About the position:

As part of a 7 person team, you will support a selected group of Habitat funded Boarding Homes and one Mainstay apartment, on a regular schedule, visiting them approximately 1-3x/ week for 3 to 4 hours, through out the city of Toronto. The team provides meaningful support to tenants living with mental health and/or addiction issues. Being knowledgeable of the mental health system and housing is essential. The site support worker will also assess tenants' support needs in collaboration with the tenants, the front-line staff, home operators and other possible stakeholders. In this role, you will also assist tenants to maintain housing, integrate into the community through access to resources and facilitate therapeutic group activities in an effort to build a sense of community with in these homes..

In addition, the Site Support Worker will provide individual support to tenants through direct engagement; orientating new tenants to the home and the surrounding community. They will do this by facilitating tenant house meetings; participating in tenant operator dispute meetings; working with stakeholders when tenants are in crisis.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Providing support to tenants with mental health and/or substance use issues, living in various boarding home, co-op and apartment settings through regularly scheduled visits to each site. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Developing support strategies/plans based on identified site specific needs/trends
• Providing orientation of new tenants to the boarding home, co-op and/or apartment settings and to Cota's site support service, and the community
• Conducting/facilitating tenant meetings to promote direct tenant participation in the planning of service/activities provided by Cota at the site and to promote a safe and open forum for dialogue in relation to issues and concerns that tenants may have
• Planning and facilitating therapeutic group activities that foster tenant engagement and participation, the development of social networks, and skill acquisition
• Coordinating the purchase of necessary program supplies and accounting for purchases in accordance with program guidelines
• Providing individual support to tenants in the areas of community orientation, linking to other services and professional supports, situational problem resolution and informal counseling, as time allows

2. Providing support to housing providers and their staff through:

• Participation in the development and facilitation of an annual series of training sessions for housing providers and their staff
• Participation in joint Cota/Operator and Tenant/Operator dispute resolution meetings

3. General duties:

• Participation in team meetings and provides input and ideas for improving services, efficiencies and ongoing program planning Documentation and data entry
• Data entry related to client interactions into Cota's database system according to data entry guidelines
• Documentation of all incidents and occurrences in accordance with Cota policies, and in accordance with applicable partnership agreements
• Contributing to the development of monthly and quarterly reports pertaining to each site

The Successful Candidate Requires:

• A minimum of a community college diploma in a field relevant to the target population (mental health issues substance use); higher level post-secondary education considered an asset
• Completion of an accredited Recreation program at the college or university level with a focus on, or specialty in, Therapeutic Recreation, will be considered an asset
• Experience working in housing, working with clients with substance use and or mental illnesses
• Clinical experience working with adults who have mental health challenges
• Experience working with addictions is essential
• Proven experience planning and facilitating group activities/events which foster tenant engagement/participation
• Experience in community mental health or in supportive housing settings
• Good crisis management and dispute resolution skills
• Good interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written)
• Knowledge of and ability to access as well as utilize community resources
• Basic understanding of different psychiatric conditions
• Good organizational skills
• Ability to produce comprehensive reports, and pirouette documentation
• Basic computer literacy (MS Word, outlook, mobile devise)

Other Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Monday to Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Travel necessary within GTA

Benefits:

Upon successful completion of a three-month period of employment, permanent full-time and permanent part-time staff working more than 20 hours per week will be eligible for employer-paid group insurance benefits. These employer-paid benefits will include:  

• Extended health care 
• Life insurance 
• Accidental death and dismemberment insurance 
• Dental care 
• Travel assistance 
• Vision care 

Permanent full-time and permanent part-time staff working more than 20 hours per week are also required to enroll in employee-paid long-term disability coverage.

Application Details:

Please complete the application below before May 8, 2025 at 4:00pm.

Additional Information:

Interview Process: Cota may choose to conduct parts/all of the hiring process virtually. Please note that as part of maintaining an agile workforce, all Cota staff may be required to be reasonably reassigned to support the operational needs of our essential services.

Screening Process: Please note that Cota uses AI to screen potential applicants for all roles.

We would like to thank all those that apply; however, due to high volumes of interest, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

Thank you, Cota's HR Department.

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Hope, respect, dedication, equity, accountability, teamwork, and innovation are key values of Cota. We are dedicated to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace, upholding dignity, and acknowledging each person's individual contributions and potential as an equal-opportunity employer. We uphold the Ontario Human Right Code and strongly encourage applications from people of color, women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ people, and others who provide various viewpoints. Cota ensures an accessible hiring process in line with the AODA principles, providing accommodations for applicants with disabilities. For any accommodation requests, please contact hr_recruitment@cotainspires.ca